Why god

[Satty 338]

So I've got the Buick with its rebuilt 307 running beautifully, happy to have it back on the road. Now there is a '93 Caprice wagon with an LT1 on Craigslist for $600. No title, being sold as a parts car.

I may go ahead and call the guy, but I'm thinking the LT1 transplant is more work than I want to do at the time.

[Camino LS6 868]

A '93 with an LT1?

I don't remember the '93s getting the LT1.

[Satty 338]

According to Wikipedia, it didn't get it until '94, so some part of the ad is wrong.

[Camino LS6 868]

According to Wikipedia, it didn't get it until '94, so some part of the ad is wrong.

That's what I thought.

Translation: you aren't missing out on anything.

[A Horse With No Name 1,989]

Leave the 307 in the wagon.

So, Satty...what else have you done with the wagon? After seeing Camino's silver beast in person I'd like one...

Really what I want is a 70-72 Cutlass Vista Cruiser.

Chris

[ocnblu 1,144]

Is the VIN posted in the Craigslist ad? If so, what is the 8th digit of the VIN? That is the engine digit. A "P" is an LT1, a "7" is the old-style 5.7, and an "H" is the 305, I believe.

edited to change the 9 to a 7

Edited June 3, 2009 by ocnblu

[Satty 338]

No vin, just says its a '93 LT1 with the 350 trans and it has 80k.

I haven't done much else to the wagon, replaced the window motora and put in the new engine. I still need new tires, a new stereo, replace the headliiner and windshield and do half a dozen other little things to make it just right.

[A Horse With No Name 1,989]

....ah...the GM headliner that was an epic fail in every car they wold for twenty years solid.

[balthazar 3,264]

The headliner in dad's '77 Safari finally started letting go in the rear sometime around circa '93.

Cheapened up the piece; when they were vinyl suspended by tensions rods, the only thing that ever went wrong was the stitching sometimes let go. It finally did in my '64 Catalina, in about 2006.

Edited June 3, 2009 by balthazar

[A Horse With No Name 1,989]

The headliner in dad's '77 Safari finally started letting go in the rear sometime around circa '93.

Cheapened up the piece; when they were vinyl suspended by tensions rods, the only thing that ever went wrong was the stitching sometimes let go. It finally did in my '64 Catalina, in about 2006.

I agree, the old system was built much better...and looked much better.

Sometimes I really could handle it being the 50's or 60's again, automotively speaking.

Chris

[Satty 338]

This morning I happened across an Olds 350 that may go cheap. Its been rebuilt recently, so the whole swap would take no time and I'd get a bump in power. The only problem then is that I'll have a newly rebuilt 307 just sitting around.

[Camino LS6 868]

That's not necessarily a bad thing...

[A Horse With No Name 1,989]

Now you just need to find a cheap Cutty as another old GM car...ahhh...the addiction begins...

Chris

[Satty 338]

well, the 350 is mine, just a matter of making the cross-state trek to pick it up. Then its a matter of a new intake manifold (I'm refusing to ever again mess with a stock one) and maybe headers and putting it in.

Oh, and in a perfect world, I'd be able to put the 307 into an old Jeep with a solid body and a blown engine. Alas, we dont live in a perfect world, so it'll probably wind up on Craigslist. There was a guy with a Cutty looking for a 307 a while ago.

Edited July 3, 2009 by Satty

[A Horse With No Name 1,989]

I've seen some old CJ's go cheap...

Chris

[Satty 338]

Got the 350 home, had a nice little 7 hour ride in a Tundra. The truck handled things well, and drank gas at about the same rate as the F-150 I used last time I needed to make a jaunt. My Edelbrock intake is on order, as is the carb. I'm deabating headers for a multitude of reasons.

[A Horse With No Name 1,989]

Glad your having fun with the old Buick!

Sounds like the 350 will find a worthy home...

Edelbrock stuff works great, I've used it on several older cars.

Chris

[Satty 338]

Yeah, since I'm joining the ranks of the (technically) unemployed on the 17th, I'll have plenty of time to play around. I'm satisfied with the 307 in there now and hadn't been looking to upgrade, but the 350 just kinda fell into my lap, so I figure this time I'll do it right and make a few upgrades where it counts. The only bad part is that my secret lair is unavailable at this time, so I had to clean the garage up a bit to get the engine stand in there.

[A Horse With No Name 1,989]

Should run well with the swap.

Sorry to hear about the unemployment gig though...

Chris

[Satty 338]

Sorry to hear about the unemployment gig though...

Dont be, I submitted my resignation a while back because budget issues were going to squeeze someone out and I was going to have to quit or take a leave for my first year of law school anyways.

As for the Buick, my original plan was to sell it if we end up moving to the east coast because I didn't want to deal with having it transported, but I'm thinking the additional 43 cubic inches will tempt me to keep it.

[A Horse With No Name 1,989]

Keep it. You don't want to park the Prius or the MINI on campus.

Lots of bad things happen to cars on a college/grad school campus, and you'll need something to move your kyak.

Chris

[Satty 338]

My garage sucks, but I've got a bunch of the superfluous crap off the block.

[Cubical-aka-Moltar 2,266]

Keep it. You don't want to park the Prius or the MINI on campus.

Lots of bad things happen to cars on a college/grad school campus, and you'll need something to move your kyak.

Chris

Ya..that's why I kept my Mustang GT at home safe and warm and had non-fancy cars in college, from an '83 Caprice to an '86 Mustang LX (4cyl) to an '88 Bronco II during my 9 years of higher ed.... college (4 yrs) and grad school (5 yrs)...

Rob